Parapanteles sireeshaae Ahmad et Akhtar

Akhtar, Mir Samim & Ahmad, Zubair, 2010, Description of two new species of Microgastrini (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India, Zootaxa 2608, pp. 57-62 : 58-60

Parapanteles sireeshaae Ahmad et Akhtar , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–6 )

Description. FEMALE Holotype. Body length, 2.0 mm. Fore wing: maximum length 2.2 mm, maximum width 1.0 mm. Head. Brownish black in colour, densely covered with hairs; temple, lateral frons, vertex, occiput and face with minute punctures associated with pilosity making surface rough and with dull luster; head in frontal view approximately 1.20x as wide as medially long, vertex 2.50x as wide as medially long; frons 1.60x wide at midheight than long, little raised medially, shallowly punctate; compound eye with hairs, maximum height 2.00x as long as maximum width, inner margins weakly converging towards clypeus; intertentorial distance 2.80x as long as distance from tentorial pit to compound eye; ocelli forming an obtuse triangle, ocell-ocular distance 1.50x as long as lateral ocelli distance; width of clypeus 3.70x as long as height; antennae with 18 segments, 0.95x as long as body; scrobe prominent; scape 1.10x as long as wide, pedicel 1.20x as long as wide, flagellomeres with two ranks of longitudinal placodes, flagellomeres I and II subequal in length, flagellomere I 1.50x as long as apical flagellomere, flagellomere I and II 2.50x as long as wide. Palpi pale yellow-brown throughout. Mesosoma ( Figs 1–3 ). Mesoscutum punctate, smooth and shiny along dorsal margin of scutellar sulcus, in dorsal view about 0.90x as wide as maximum width of head at frontal view; scutellum sparsely punctate with rather long hairs along lateral margin; propodeum with distinct and complete areola, about 1.50x as long wide; anterior diagonal carinae merged with anterior rugulose sculpturing, transverse carinae percurrent and branched laterally into costulae, surface of propodeum finely rugose on dorsal face, mostly smooth posteriorly; mesopleuron finely punctate and covered with short hairs in anterior third, smooth and shiny elsewhere, postero-lateral area depressed; metanotum laterally finely punctate and densely pilose in posterior third, smooth and shiny elsewhere. Legs. Prothoracic and mesothoracic legs entirely light brown except infuscate extreme bases of coxa, hind coxa rather large, more than 0.50x as long as metasoma, its finely punctate surface with short hairs making the surface rough with dull luster, apical spurs of hind tibiae shorter than hind basitarsi. Wings. Tegulae pale yellowish, translucent. Fore wing veins light brown; stigma usually paler proximally or over much of surface, 2.60x as long as wide. Fore wing with r and 3RSa not meeting at distinct angle, R1 subequal to length of stigma, 1.90x as long as distance from its distal end to end of 3RS fold along wing edge, length of 1M 2.30x as long as m-cu, 0.30x as long as M+CU and 6.00x as long as 1RS, 1cu a 1.10x as long as 1cu b. Hind wing with vannal lobe convex to weakly flattened subapically, 3.30x as long as wide, evenly fringed with hairs of moderate length. M+CU 1.1x of 1M. Metasoma ( Figs 4–6 ). Tergite I slightly longer than widest part, length 1.20x as long as maximum width, slightly bulging posteriorly with surface punctate-reticulate becoming longitudinally striate posteriorly with a luminescent area medio-posteriorly along the margin. Tergite II sub-rectangular, longitudinally striate, about 3.00x as wide as long, rest of tergites somewhat smooth and shiny; hypopygium evenly sclerotized; ovipositor and sheaths hardly protruding beyond apex of gaster; ovipositor slightly curved ventrally with basal ridge just before apex; ovipositor sheaths covered with short fine hairs.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Hyposidra successaria ( Lepidoptera : Geometridae )

Remarks. Parapanteles sireeshaae sp. nov. closely resembles P. masoni Austin et Dangerfield but differs in having the following features: coxae finely punctate with short hairs (vs. smootherd shiny in P. m a s o n i), anterior diagonal carina of propodeum not meeting anterior margin of propodeum (vs. meeting), fore leg except coxae, pale yellowish (vs. brown).

In the key given by Valerio et al. (2009), this new species will key in at the couplet no 2 leading to P. masoni . This is to be modified as follows:

2 Areola normally closed at anterior edge, ovipositor and ovipositor sheaths elongate and relatively thin in lateral view; fore telotarsus, ovipositor, ovipositor sheaths and body color variable; from the New World .................. 3 - Areola open at anterior edge, ovipositor and ovipositor sheaths short and relatively thick in lateral view; fore telotarsus, ovipositor, ovipositor sheaths and body color fixed; from the Australia or Oriental ........................ 18 18(2) Coxae smootherd shiny without short hairs, anterior diagonal carina of propodeum meeting anterior margin of propodeum, fore leg except coxae brown .............................................................. P. masoni Austin et Dangerfield - Coxae finely punctate with short hairs, anterior diagonal carina of propodeum not meeting anterior margin of propodeum ( Fig. 3 ), fore leg except coxae, pale yellowish .................... P. sireeshaae Ahmead et Akhtar, sp. nov.

Consequently the couplet 18 added at the end will distinguish the species in the key.

The type of Parapanteles shivranginii Sathe et Ingawale 1989 (species reported from Oriental region) could not be accessed either at Department of Zoology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, or at the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. Its original description is inadequet especially with regard to the comparison of different body parts and description of metasoma.

Type material. Holotype (female): INDIA, Andhra Pradesh, Bapatla, 1.VIII.2008, reared from Hyposidra successaria on Tinospora cordifolia in betel vine garden, coll. K. Sireesha, deposited in National Pusa Collection ( NPC), Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. Paratypes: 6 females, same data as holotype; deposited in NPC, except one female in the Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.

Etymology. The species is named after the collector Dr. K. Sireesha, Scientist, Herbal Garden Scheme, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Parapanteles sireeshaae Ahmad et Akhtar, sp. nov. (1 – 6): 1. fore wing, 2. hind wing, 3. propodeum, 4. metasomal tergite I dorsally, 5. metasoma laterally, 6. female genitalia; Pholetesor hayati Akhtar, sp. nov. (7 – 12): 7. fore wing, 8. hind wing, 9. propodeum, 10. metasomal tergite I dorsally, 11. metasoma laterally, 12. female genitalia